The automatic support locking device for portable towers and tanks, hereafter referred to as “Auto-Lock”™ is a device that is used with a Porto-Tower® or any other extensible tube or leg device that is used to support a platform or a tank that has either cylindrical or square legs. The Porto-Tower® is lifted from the vehicle chassis, located at ground level, to an elevated position in order to provide a gravity feed for the liquid stored inside the tank. The auto-lock automatically penetrates into the tubes or legs of the portable tower securing the raised tank to a predetermined height and locks the elevated tank preventing inadvertent raising or lowering of the tower from the selected position due to operator error or mechanical failure.
The auto-lock is a locking device that engages into a desired position by using a spring and wedge combination device as the leg is raised or lowered through an opening within the leg or tube. The platform or tank will then be prevented from being raised or lowered, provided the auto lock wedge is in place.
The auto lock wedge can only be released by using either hydraulic pressure, pneumatic pressure or electric solenoid operation. The hydraulic or pneumatic pressure is injected into the cylinder which compresses the auto lock spring. This then removes the wedge or pin from the tube or leg, allowing the platform or tank to be either raised or lowered into an alternate position.